Mandatory Harvest Reporting--what states don't have it?

[Hunthigh1]

I know Montana does not have mandatory online harvest reporting. Is this common? What other states do not have mandatory harvest reporting? I live in Idaho and was surprised when I realized Montana did not have it. This seems outrageous that a state agency would choose to miss out on such valuable management data in 2023 when the use of technology is so easy.

 

[KurtR]

South Dakota, North Dakota. I always reported when I went to Idaho but didn’t think it was mandatory for elk

 

[Deleted member 8-15-23]

Ca. Has a soft mandatory, $25 fine if not. Make it $200 and 1 year no lottery. Bio guys can't do their jobs.

 

[InkedElkSlayer]

I’ve been to several public meetings where heated discussions occurred and MTFWP was adamant about defending why they don’t have mandatory hunter harvest reporting. MTFWP will NOT go to mandatory reporting anytime soon.

NV- mandatory
AZ- mandatory
ID- mandatory
WY- “strongly encouraged”, not mandatory

 

[NRA4LIFE]

WA is a $10 surcharge the next year if you don't. That $10 applies if you kill something or not.

 

[Hunthigh1]

I’ve been to several public meetings where heated discussions occurred and MTFWP was adamant about defending why they don’t have mandatory hunter harvest reporting. MTFWP will NOT go to mandatory reporting anytime soon.

NV- mandatory
AZ- mandatory
ID- mandatory
WY- “strongly encouraged”, not mandatory

Did MTFWP say why they were opposed to moving to a mandatory harvest reporting? I honestly can not think of a good excuse they would have for not going to one. The budget is in surplus for them and this seems like the easiest low cost low risk way of gathering accurate quality data for management. Biologists hang out of helicopters for cryin out loud. That collaring work is important, but why not get the easy low hanging fruit?

 

[Hunthigh1]

WA is a $10 surcharge the next year if you don't. That $10 applies if you kill something or not.

I think this would qualify as mandatory for the sake of our discussion here.

 

[InkedElkSlayer]

Did MTFWP say why they were opposed to moving to a mandatory harvest reporting? I honestly can not think of a good excuse they would have for not going to one. The budget is in surplus for them and this seems like the easiest low cost low risk way of gathering accurate quality data for management. Biologists hang out of helicopters for cryin out loud. That collaring work is important, but why not get the easy low hanging fruit?

I don’t want to hyjack the original question about the commonality of NOT having mandatory reporting… But their most repeated were:

Too expensive. Too hard to enforce. They have good “trend data”.

We could start a new thread, “10 systemic changes that MTFWP must implement to ensure our youth have a hunting future .”

 

[Hunthigh1]

I don’t want to hyjack the original question about the commonality of NOT having mandatory reporting… But their most repeated were:

Too expensive. Too hard to enforce. They have good “trend data”.

We could start a new thread, “10 systemic changes that MTFWP must implement to ensure our youth have a hunting future .”

I’m the OP. Please, hijack away. Let’s hear it.

Realistically, does anyone know what it costs to implement a digital harvest reporting system? It doesn’t have to re-designed. It seems they could just hire the same vendor that idaho uses to make one for the state of montana…… and once it is setup the primary cost is gone. Simply maintenance
/ service fee at that point

 

[Dave_]

Not arguing one way or another because I haven't reviewed how each state surveys but there has been a ton a research done on the accuracy of mandatory vs voluntary harvest reporting. You can get pretty accuate results either way if your survey is set up and analyzed correctly. It's not always as simple or black and white as it sounds. But I have noticed similar trends from alot of state agencies, if you have been collecting data the same way for years and years it's hard to change. They seem to view that long running trend line as more valuable than exact numbers. You basically have to throw all your old trend data out and start from scratch if you start changing methods around to much.


This is a pretty good read to understand some of the science behind reporting survey design.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264807035_Evaluating_Cost-Efficiency_and_Accuracy_of_Hunter_Harvest_Survey_Designs

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[Yarak]

Alabama has mandatory game check on deer and turkey

 

[dtrkyman]

Michigan, they send a survey, not mandatory.

 

[Tjdeerslayer37]

Michigan, they send a survey, not mandatory.

Deer is mandatory as of last year

 

[roadrunner]

UT - required
NM - required

 

[Deleted member 8-15-23]

These small fines like ca. And wa. Imposes is not punitive enough to matter. Make it a warden game violation ticket. Besides bio guys having little help to set the next year's tag quota, the % of harvest is not accurate. The deer unit I put in for has 5 tags and last year nobody reported!!! So as a hunter I had to dig deep to find the truth. 4/5 harvested, nobody reported.

 

[dtrkyman]

New Mexico has a penalty for reporting late, they enforce it when you try to aplly for the draw, so you pay it if late then they let you in the draw. Simple system, one of the few things NM does well.

 

[Deleted member 8-15-23]

New Mexico has a penalty for reporting late, they enforce it when you try to aplly for the draw, so you pay it if late then they let you in the draw. Simple system, one of the few things NM does well.

Same as ca. Which is useless for setting tag quotas or a hunter wanting to know % of harvest from last year.

 

[2soups]

Michigan, they send a survey, not mandatory.

Yep It's mandatory since 2022 to report deer in MI now

 

[nobody]

Utah's requirements vary by species and hunt type:

https://wildlife.utah.gov/hunting/m...~:text=You can report online or,-800-221-0659.

• I know the limited entry elk are required. It's about 2 minutes total (closest road, closest drainage, points on left, points on right, rate overall satisfaction of your hunt on a scale from 1-10, etc.). If you don't complete it then they add a year to your waiting period if I remember correctly. I believe all limited entry deer are the same way.
• Cow elk is required now from what I understand. If you don't it's a $50 fee before you can apply or buy again.
• It's not required, but I always get a survey call about general season deer. Says right on their website general season deer and elk are voluntary.
• Once in a lifetime species are required (moose, sheep, goat, bison, etc.)
• Management buck tags (Paunsaugunt and Henry Mountains) are required to be check in at a DWR office in person
• Bears and cougars are required to be check in person within 48 hours of harvest as well by the DWR.

I'd be in favor of a blanket requirement for harvest reporting across the board. Just have a simple online questionnaire to fill out by December 31st or else you get fined $100 for every tag you don't report on or something. It's easy, and it helps the divisions out greatly.

 

[dtrkyman]

Yep It's mandatory since 2022 to report deer in MI now

Turkey as well? They sent me a survey, did not mention madatory, hopefully it is!